Red Thread Of Fate
by xXEsther-ChanXx
Summary: Sakura Haruno, medical apprentice extraordinaire, gets accepted into the school of her dreams, the prestigious Yume Academy. What will she do when she uncovers the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface and realizes that the answer is more complicated than she expected. Entangled in a web of red stained thread, Sakura Haruno learns that fate is not her friend. AU.


Hi guys! Here's my first fanfiction so I hope you enjoy! :)

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_Dear Miss Haruno, I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the prestigious Yume Academy…_

The cup I had been holding slipped from my grasp, the deafening shatter escaping my ears.

_You have been accepted…_

Me? I was… accepted? I...I….. can't believe it…..

Am I dreaming? I pinched myself, hard.

Ow. Not dreaming. I winced as I rubbed the painful red splotch on my arm that I had subjected to violent pinching. I bent over, picking up the piece of paper that had fluttered to the floor. I still couldn't believe it.

'_**You better believe it, bitch. WE'RE GOING TO YUME ACADEMY!'**_ I couldn't help the large grin that spread wide across my face. The academy of my dreams had accepted me as a student. Then it hit me.

"Shit, I need to call Ino!" I exclaimed as I rushed to get the phone.

Ino and I, we've been best friends since grade school ever since we met on that fateful day at the local park. We were absolutely inseparable, til Sasuke Uchiha hit and we became petty rivals. It was when he transferred out of Konoha Middle School, that we realized how stupid we were to throw away our friendship. Then in the middle of our second year of high school the last one of our group of friends, excluding Ino and I, transferred out and we've grown closer ever since. We made a pact that day when Naruto moved away. It was to attend Yume Academy after high school, our dream school, no matter what. Thinking back on it now, it's kind of strange how our friends moved away without a word. They all transferred out one by one. Even Naruto, him being my guy best friend, left without a word and changed the subject when I brought it up. It hurt when they stopped keeping touch, but thats all left in the past now.

"Forehead! I was just about to call you! Nice timing. Anyways, guess what I've got in my hand right now!" she exclaimed. I could practically feel her excitement through the phone.

"Lemme guess, is it-" I started, but was cut off mid-sentence.

"I GOT MY ACCEPTANCE LETTER!" she screamed. I cracked a smile. Ino was such a kid sometimes.

"Really? And here I was thinking that you've found your pair of heels you lost last week," I said sarcastically. I knew she got accepted the moment I heard her excitement through the phone. Honestly, someone that excited couldn't have gotten a rejection letter. "I got accepted too!" I said, more like squealed, though I wouldn't admit to that.

"Well of course you did Miss 'medical apprentice to Japan's top doctor'. Who wouldn't want you attending their school?"

"Ino, you do realize that you're also an apprentice under Tsunade, right?"

"I know I know, but we both know that you're practically gifted as a medic and the fact that you're also the first in our class doesn't hurt either."

"You're giving me too much credit Ino pig, honestly, I had much of a chance as you did."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. Oh that reminds me. We need to go shopping!" I inwardly cringed. I know I won't be able to shake her off once she's got her mind set on shopping. I groaned. "No buts, Forehead. We are revamping your wardrobe for all the hotties at Yume! I''m picking you up at 5. You better be ready!" With that she hung up.

I layed on my bed motionless for a while. It still all seemed surreal. I've been preparing myself for rejection for weeks and knowing I've been accepted along with Ino makes it all the more better. A smile stretched across my face again. It's been a while since I've smiled this often.

Oh fuck. I forgot about the mug I left shattered on the kitchen floor. Damn… It was my favorite one too. I huffed before grabbing the broom and pan from the storage closet as I made my way to the kitchen. I slipped on a stray piece of ceramic before landing flat on my ass. Good thing I was wearing my slippers or things would have been messy. I quickly cleaned up the mess before I would accidentally cut myself. I dumped the remnants of the mug in the waste bin. A hot shower sounds good right about now. I checked the time, it was currently 11:30 am. Eh, I had time to kill.

After my shower I got dressed in a simple teal v-neck tee and a comfortable pair of loose jean shorts. It was still a while before Ino would show up. I might as well kill some time. I flicked the TV on and flipped to a channel that had something interesting on. Soon after, I fell into a dreamless sleep only to be woken up by the annoying ring of my phone.

"Hey, Forehead you better be ready cuz i'll be there in ten minutes!" My eyes widened as I flicked my gaze towards the clock. Shit. I ran to the bathroom only to be greeted by my reflection. I cringed. Half of my hair laid flat against my head as the other half stuck out in gravity defying angles. I quickly brushed through my waist length pink hair and tried to make it look as presentable as possible. Satisfied with my hair, I smoothed out any creases in my shirt and grabbed my bag as I heard Ino's car honk outside. I stepped outside taking in the warm late June weather.

"Jeez, Forehead. You're hair looks worse than Karin's…" I could hear Inner snigger somewhere in the recess of my mind.

"Ah shut up Ino pig." I huffed. My hair didn't look that bad….. right? She snorted. The rest of the ride consisted of chortled laughter and stupid shit as Ino swerved for the fifth time almost hitting another pedestrian.

We finally found an open parking space before some asshole swerved in, stealing our spot.

"FUCKING DICK!" Ino shouted. She may seem like happy-go-lucky blonde, but she had some serious road rage. I shook my head as I tried to tune out her ranting. I didn't blame her though. We've been searching for an open car lot for a good 30 minutes until that asshole with the orange corvette stole it. Eventually we came across another open lot, but it was a good distance away from the nearest mall entrance which meant a whole load of walking. "Finally. Let's go! We should hit the salon first. What better way to start a new school than with a new hairstyle?" Ino suggested.

"Yeah, sure. I've been meaning to get a haircut," I replied. I let Ino drag me into the salon. We were seated into the next available salon chairs. I picked up a lock of long, waist length petal pink hair. It's been this long since middle school.

"What kind of look are you looking for?" the hair stylist asked me while combing through my hair. I thought for a moment before deciding.

xXxXxXx

After we were both finished getting our hair cut, we met in the front of the salon. Ino got out earlier than I did.

"Woah Forehead, you look AMAZING!" Ino squealed. I blushed. My waist length locks were now a choppy shoulder length cut, my bangs still held by the red ribbon Ino gave me when we were kids.

"You look gorgeous as usual, if I do say so myself," I replied, winking. Ino did look beautiful after all. Her hair wasn't as drastic of a change as mine, but her front fringe was layered more and was fluffier than her usual sharp flat fringe that bent at a sharp angle by the roots. It looked more softer. (think from pre-shippuuden to after)

We stopped by the nearest café. Ino got a latte while I stuck with a simple fruit smoothie. Coffee just isn't to my liking.

"Hey Ino, I still can't believe we got into Yume Academy…" I murmured. A soft smile graced my features as I drank the rest of my smoothie. I looked up startled at the shocked expression on her face. I turned around to where she was looking and nearly dropped my smoothie at the sight.

Is that…. It couldn't be. I blinked a few times trying to clear my vision. They looked shocked when they spotted us as well.

"Naruto?" I whispered. I heard the loud scrape of the chair as it was harshly slid backwards.

"Let's go, Sakura." Ino spoke, glaring at the offending people standing in the middle of the entrance of the café. Ino grabbed my wrist and dragged me out with her. I was finally able to get my legs to function properly before being dragged back down to reality.

"What the fuck was that?" I said to no one in particular. Standing before us a moment ago was Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba.

"Sakura!" I felt a hand on my shoulder as I was pulled face to face with Naruto. Ino grabbed my hand and pulled me back, away from him.

"Who do you think you are? You have no right to talk to her, especially after you cut us out of your life," said Ino.

"Ino, wait-" he started.

"No, Naruto. Just stay the hell away." Ino stormed off with my hand in her grasp. We didn't stop until we were far, far away from the café.

"Thanks Ino," I said. I'm glad she dragged us out of there. I don't think my own two feet could have carried me.

"Those bastards, thinking they can just waltz back here acting like we'll take them back with open arms," Ino muttered. "I can't believe them. They cut us out of their lives and now they want to talk?"

"Yeah….." I couldn't believe it either.

"Come on, let go do some shopping," She gave me a small smile before skipping off to the next boutique. "I'm not gonna let those bastards ruin our day!" And then my torture continued.

After a few hours of shopping, and by few I mean many, we ate dinner at a local diner. They have really good food. I mean, I would know considering I worked there for a few months. After we were seated a waiter came soon after to take our order.

"Fancy seeing you again, Sakura. I see you've brought your beautiful friend along as well," he spoke, giving us a toothy grin. I looked up

"Nice seeing you Kenji. I'm glad to see that they've finally upgraded you from a busboy," I jabbed. It's always so entertaining to poke fun at him.

"Har har, as sarcastic as ever. So what would you like tonight guys?" he asked.

"I'll have the ranch BLT with a glass of ginger ale." I said as I handed him the menu.

"And I'll have a grilled chicken club with a glass of water, no ice." I raised an eyebrow when she winked flirtatiously at him before handing him her menu.

"Hey, Sak. You should introduce me to your pretty friend sometime, ne?" I rolled my eyes at him. Men.

xXxXxXx

After we finished eating, we split the bill and Ino managed to pass her number to Kenji on a sticky note with a 'call me' scrawled in neat cursive when she handed him the receipt and cash. It took me a good 20 minutes to get Ino to stop flirting with him and to drive me home.

"See ya later Pig!" I yelled as I waved. I was completely and utterly exhausted. I gathered all of my shopping bags and proceeded to lug them up to my room.

The house was quiet as usual. It never used to be this way though. It used to be noisy and teeming with life. Now, it's just cold and empty. It's been that way ever since my parents died.

"_Sakura, dear, we're leaving!" my mother called out from the doorway. _

"_Are you sure you guys have to go?" I asked. I felt uneasy about their trip to Korea. It wasn't the first time they've left the country, but I still felt uneasy. I didn't know why, but I got a bad feeling. I couldn't say anything though. My parents had been planning this trip for weeks. She wrapped her arms around me._

"_Don't worry," she reassured. "We'll be fine. It's only for a week." I reluctantly nodded as I helped her with the luggage. _

"_Mebuki, we're going to miss our flight!" called out my dad. I hugged them both as I watched their car drive further and further away._

"_Bye mom, bye dad! Come back safe!"_

_and that was the last time I ever saw them._

_xXxXxXx_

_The next morning, I heard the doorbell go off._

"_Coming!" I shouted as I ran to get the door. My stomach twisted when I opened the door to two police officers. My heart filled with dread._

"_No, that can't be… You're lying," I whispered._

"_I'm sorry ma'am for your loss, but we have no reason to lie," an officer spoke. I fell to my knees. My parents, Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno died in a plane crash off the coast of Japan. _

I can never get used to this silent lifeless house.

I trudged up the stairs. Being reminded of my parents death always left me in a depressing mood so I tried not to think of them so much. I was left well off after their deaths. They left me with the rest of their money and the house as well. I got a job as a cashier at Walmart to pay the bills. I didn't want to blow all the money my parents left me. I put that all in a bank account for emergencies. And for Ino's shopping trips.(-_-) The thing that struck me as odd though was how they already had their wills written out. Surely they didn't think they would die so early on in life, right? I shook my head. Nah, they were probably just thinking ahead. I didn't dwell on it for long.

I dropped the shopping bags in the corner of my room. The only other thing on my mind was sleep as I hurriedly got changed into a tank top and some pajama shorts. My only day off in the week from work was spent on several agonizing hours of shopping. I groaned as plopped on the bed. I really don't want to go to work tomorrow. I closed my eyes as I smiled for the umpteenth time of the day.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait for the school year to start."

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My first chapter uploaded. I feel so accomplished.

And yes, they do have Walmarts in Japan… I think…

Reviews are more than welcome. :D


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